The Big 30

Not much to say about being 30 yet..... my feet have hardly touched the ground!!

Well, as I mentioned, Prince was FANTASTIC!! Then commenced lots of feasting at various local restaurants, and then on Saturdat just gone I had the Vicars and Nuns party at the flat. And I had such a good time! you know those legendary nights that people talk about for years to come? Well, my party was one of those nights and I WAS THE HOSTESS!! YAY!! It was so good to have Duck there, Dom played tunes of sheer brilliance, the fancy dress prize presentation was hllarious and I danced myself silly!!! So many good memories, and so many great photos! I felt very appreciated, and I also appreciated my friends as ALL of them made the effort to dress up, and frankly, some of the efforts were unreal!!!

So now, the 30th celebrations are drawing to a close. (apart from pampering at Cedar Falls tomorrow...yum!) Its now all systems go and then some for the exhibtion as there is less than 2 weeks to go (yikes!)

All that remains to be done is to make this post visual............

His Royal Purple Highness

So my birthday celebrations kicked off in considerable style with tickets to see prince playing at the O2 arena in London!

OH.....MY........FRICKIN..............GOD! It was amazing! So many hits, I danced my arse off and sung at the top of my lungs! The atmosphere was incredible! Without a shadow of a doubt, this was the best gig I have EVER been to! here is the setlist of justice and joy!

Let's Go Crazy
1999
I Feel For You
Controversy (with Housequake chant)
Shhh
Musicology (incl the line "Elton John gonna be there...you got to..call him!")
Prince & The Band
All Blues Miles Davis
What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong (including a line from the Elton song 'Your Song')

Prince solo piano set
Little Red Corvette
I Would Die 4 U
Under The Cherry Moon (instrumental)
Love Is A Losing Game Amy Winehouse (shared vocals with Shelby J.)
Satisfied
Diamonds & Pearls
The Beautiful Ones
Sometimes It Snows In April (OH MY!!)

Full Band
Cream
U Got The Look
Take Me With U
Guitar
Kiss
Purple Rain

Encore
Long & Winding Road (with Elton John) The Beatles
Crazy / Can't Get You Out Of My Head Gnarls Barkely/Kylie Minogue (Shelby J. vocal)
Nothing Compares 2 U
If I Was Your Girlfriend

Encore
Synth set
Bennie & The Jets' edit Elton John - Nasty Girl (sample) - Sign 'O' The Times - Soft & Wet (sample) - When Doves Cry - Alphabet Street - DMSR - Darling Nikki intro - Raspberry Beret

Encore
A Love Bizarre
Chelsea Rodgers

Back to reality

The 30th birthday celebrations have finally drawn to a close. Prince was AWESOME! My party was LEGENDARY! Duckies visit was SPLENDID and as wild as ever! And Im exhausted after 3 hours sleep and preparing for a return to work tomorrow, only been off 5 days but feels like much longer as I have been in such a different world! I'm too tired to write about it all here, maybe now need some post 30 reflections! But hey! 30 is OK and nothing to be afraid of!!

Ok, off to bed to prepare for the return to the world of work..... and watch this space for some very visual posts concerning the birthday celebrations..... until then, heres a picture to be going on with!

Back to reality!!

Musings on then and now

Forgive my rambings..... it must be my age!























Was looking back at some old photos of me at roughly 19 or 20, and comparing them with photos of me now, soon before turning 30 (did I mention.....) In some photos I don't think I look much different, but in others I feel like I look completely different..... I wish I had noticed how GREAT my legs were at 20, but I REALLY should have plucked my eyebrows sooner!! Other than that and a few extra wrinkles, not too different!

I feel strangely protective and maternal towards the 19 year old in my photo. Maybe its all about what I'm reading into it, but she looks so young! Theres lots of things I think I would like to have told her. I would tell her that things eventually would turn out OK with Dad. I would tell her it was not her fault and there is no more she could have done. I would tell her its going to be painful, but it will feel better, but I would have told her to MAKE SURE she made time to tell him what she thought before he died.
I think I would tell her to travel while she was REALLY free.
I would tell her to dance as much as she can as wildly as she can while she still really enjoys nightclubs!! And I would tell her that ITS SO UNIMPORTANT if people think she looks silly as long as she is enjoying it!
I would tell her to MAKE SURE she went to that Bjork gig at the Opera house.....
I would tell her not to worry, you will pass your driving test eventually and to take particular pleasure in daydreaming and staring out of the window while she is still the passenger.
I would tell her that when the doctor told her it was gastric reflux, she should really ask for a second opinion.....
I would tell her to be more adventurous with her hair...... it will grow back!
I would tell her its perfectly OK not to have a career..... a job and a happy homelife is all that is needed. And I would tell her to tell people she was a painter when asked "what she did for a living"
I would hug her for all the times when it hurt too much too think clearly.....
I would tell her tequila is REALLY NOT A GOOD IDEA.....
I would tell her about the flat who are about to adopt her, and to hang on in there untill then....
I would tell her to be very wary indeed when it came to unresolved father figure issues....
I would tell her not to let mum get on that rickshaw in china....
I would tell her its probably not a good idea to get pet frogs....
I would tell her to take more risks.
I would tell her, in general, overall, to be more careful with mobile phones....

I would tell her to make the most of those GREAT legs while they are still great...

But most of all i would tell her not to do anything differently! I look back at the mistakes I have made, the fantastic times I have had, the terrible times that have been, but apart from the odd thing, I wouldn't change anything. I much prefer the picure of me at 29. I look happier and more confortable with myself. Which is something I am. All my experiences both good and bad have led me to this point. And I'm happy! I may grieve a little for the twentysomething I am about to leave behind, but I look forward to the thirtysomething I am about to become, because this thirtysomething is much more relaxed, content and comfortable in her skin, even if there is a bit more flesh on it and its a bit more wrinkly! I look forward to the future, its the next chapter....

30? Im ready........

262,800 Hours

Thats how old I will be on Thursday. Not sure if it sounds better or not.........

Transitions

So, I turn 30 in 3 days. And I'm waiting for my epiphany moment, my moment of enlightenment that will neatly sum up how I feel about moving out of my twenties and into my thirties. Thing is, I'm finding it really hard to get a handle on how I am feeling, because I suppose I am trying to force some sort of emotional reaction to it all. Im also really busy with the exhibition and thinking about the best ways to celebrate the event, so reflection and musings are not being given much energy!

I do feel a bit reflective, even if its hard to gain any deeper insight! Its been a real year of change so far, other people are changing around me, and things have changed and shifted in my life. Getting my new job has made me realise what a big part of my life being at William Knowles has been, and its hard to be letting go of it, even if I know its been positive and for the best! Im in a transition period. I'm seeing where the new job is taking me, but aware that other things like starting a family and working on my art will being to take precedence as I move into my thirties.

I feel like with all the change that has happened recently, things are still up in the air, and I have a feeling that the first year of being thirty will be about seeing where everything settles when they come back down.

Also, the exhibition is a great metaphor for where I feel I am. I have been frantically finishing off canvasses so that all my work is at a point of completion, but after the exhibition, I will be facing lots of new blank canvasses and seeing what direction I am taken in. This feels true of whats to come in my life. I kind of know where I want to be, but don't really know how I'm going to get there or what things will look like when they are finished.

Its exciting and scary all rolled into one, but I don't think I would want to feel any different......

Going Public

The exhibition is proving to be a lot of work! I guess I haven't had time to feel particulary nervous or even excited about it yet, as I have been so busy getting stuff done....

And here is one thing I have decided on...... this is going to be on the front of the all the invitations I will be sending out.

Solo Show Booked

Can't back out now...... solo show is booked. Its going to be on from 5th to 26th October.

Quite scared now. Bring on a month now of frantic painting, publicity stuff and general panic mode.....